Chapter 46 – The Silent Threshold
The atmosphere of the forest had changed the moment the control trial was left behind. The wind no longer blew with the light, cautious rhythm of the earlier nodes; now it moved in sudden, uneven swells. As if the air itself was warning them that the third node was near.
Seryn felt the faint burn on his back again. The fragment he carried—the small shard he had taken from beneath the stone lattice—still pulsed quietly on the left side of his chest. He had managed to use it as an invisible surface throughout the control trial, but it would not last forever. The gray flow struck against his chest and retreated again, reminding him of a simple truth: every trace is eventually read.
Kai walked ahead, hopping over a tree root without breaking stride.
"How far is the third node?" he asked, his tone impatient.
Lyra checked the map.
"About half an hour. But the diagram doesn't give details. It only says 'Pressure and Response Sequence.'"
Rien frowned.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I don't know," Lyra replied, "but they say it behaves differently for everyone who passes the control stage."
Seryn kept walking in silence.
He knew the third node's name: the Response Threshold.
This trial measured not only physical reaction speed, but also the sharpness of one's thoughts. And according to whispers—Temple agents paid close attention to its results.
When they reached the end of the path, the forest suddenly opened. The natural barrier of trees parted, revealing a circular clearing. In the center stood a large structure—a door of metal fused with stone, its carved grooves pulsing with a faint blue light, as if the energy within was trying to spill out.
But the door wasn't the first thing they noticed.
There was a woman standing before it.
Tall, wearing an Academy robe of gray-white tones. On her chest was the emblem of academic oversight—yet the sleeves lacked any of Temple's sigils. She belonged to the internal observer class: politically independent, but with significant authority.
"Valeria," Lyra whispered.
"High-grade internal observer of the Academy… It's strange she's here this early."
Valeria lifted her head and watched them approach.
Her deep green eyes gave the unsettling impression that she wasn't just looking at them—but at the thoughts behind them.
"You three have completed the control node," she said. Her voice was calm but carried a weight that quieted even the forest. "Your reports are normal. But one of you shows minor irregularities."
Her eyes shifted to Seryn.
Kai tensed.
Rien's hand moved instinctively toward his bow, then froze—showing reflexes like that in front of Valeria was risky.
Seryn stepped forward.
"What seems to be the issue, ma'am?"
Valeria opened her notebook.
"Your breathing pattern created a distortion in the observation rhythm. This usually happens under stress. But in your case… there is the impression of an external 'reflection.'"
The gray flow stirred inside his chest.
Seryn kept his expression neutral.
"My rhythm work comes from an old technique," he said. "It might appear irregular."
Valeria narrowed her eyes.
"Possible. But we will confirm that in the next stage."
Seryn's pulse subtly quickened.
Kai took half a step forward, instantly halted when Valeria merely narrowed her gaze.
"The third node measures your reactions under actual pressure," she said. "But all four of you will enter together. If even one of you fails, the others' scores will drop."
Rien looked up sharply.
"There's group pairing in this zone? It's supposed to be individ—"
"Not today," Valeria cut in.
"The academic board wants to evaluate team synchronization in certain trials this year."
A blatant lie.
Lyra frowned.
Even Rien knew this wasn't standard protocol.
Valeria continued:
"When you enter the door, the pressure anchors will activate randomly. Physical reaction speed, mana balancing, mental focus—everything will be tested simultaneously. And at a certain point… your internal orientations will be read."
Lyra's breath hitched.
"Internal orientations? You mean—?"
"Thought fragments," Valeria said.
"Intent, fear, anger, loyalty… all revealed under pressure."
Silence fell.
Kai leaned toward Seryn, whispering,
"This… is not normal."
Rien added, even quieter:
"First an external observer, now an internal one? Too many coincidences."
Seryn felt their fear, but did not show his own.
The gray flow cooled sharply within his chest.
A trial that read internal orientations could expose the shard. Even the smallest break in his focus would draw Valeria's notice.
"If you are ready, the door will open," Valeria said.
"But one last thing…"
Her gaze locked onto Seryn.
"Keep your internal fluctuations stable. At the third node, even the smallest fracture is recorded."
The door opened with a heavy, metallic rumble.
A cold gust swept out, carrying the metallic scent of mana and the faint vibration of complex mechanisms.
Inside, the chamber was wide. Six massive pillars lined the walls. Blue-white lights pulsed atop each one—pressure anchors, each with its own effect.
Lyra scanned the room with magic.
"These are… stronger than the outer ones," she said. "They're the kind used in internal Academy trials."
Kai smirked.
"Good. Works for me. Higher pressure means—"
"Means you'll collapse if you overdo it," Rien interrupted.
But Seryn wasn't listening to them.
His eyes were fixed on the center of the room.
The lines formed by the six anchors created an invisible grid that left a small space open in the middle. And in that space… a weak mist drifted—gray, faint, and pulsing like a breath.
His heart quickened.
The mist resembled the natural behavior of the gray flow.
This wasn't coincidence.
The Academy had designed it this way.
"Begin," Valeria's voice echoed from outside.
The door slammed shut.
The lights flared—
—and the pressure hit immediately.
The first strike detonated on Rien's side, tilting the ground beneath him. He stumbled, slammed his knee into the floor, and forced himself upright.
The second collapsed onto Lyra, nearly crushing her breath. She summoned a trembling barrier, but it cracked under the force.
Kai broke the third strike with a punch—but his fist trembled afterward, his muscles twitching in defiance of his own control.
Seryn's pressure came differently.
Quiet.
But piercing.
A small throb began inside his head.
The gray flow recoiled toward the back of his chest.
The shard vibrated sharply.
As if the two were being pulled apart.
"No…" he whispered.
But it was already too late.
The gray mist in the room drifted toward him—drawn to him.
It touched the gray flow inside.
A thin resonance rippled through his chest.
Then—
A CRACK.
Invisible, but deep.
A sharp jolt struck the left side of his chest, as if a piece of the gray flow had torn loose.
Seryn's breath twisted.
Kai saw it immediately.
"Seryn?!"
Lyra's eyes widened.
"There's something in his chest—mana fracture?"
Even Rien made a move toward him.
But the pressure was intensifying.
Energy burst from each anchor, disrupting the rhythm of the chamber.
Seryn focused on a single thought:
If I lose control now… Valeria will suspect me. The shard will surface. Temple will learn. And I'll never breathe freely in this Academy again.
The gray flow tried to knit itself together despite the damage.
But the fracture was deep.
And the third surge erupted before any of them could recover.
The chapter closed with the invisible fissure inside the gray flow suddenly widening—violently.
Author Note (EN)
In this chapter, they entered the third node, and Seryn experienced his first internal fracture.
This fracture will become a major issue for both Temple and the Academy—
but also an opportunity.